Our new Indie Games subforum is now open for business in G&T. Go and check it out, you might land a code for a free game. If you're developing an indie game and want to post about it, follow these directions. If you don't, he'll break your legs! Hahaha! Seriously though.

Our rules have been updated and given their own forum. Go and look at them! They are nice, and there may be new ones that you didn't know about! Hooray for rules! Hooray for The System! Hooray for Conforming!

[PRIME] PAX Prime 2012 Costumes

What is everyone planning on doing for their costumes for 2012?
Any big ideas or even just concepts of what you might want to do?
Games or other things coming out or are already out that you might want to base a costume off of?
Got any questions about how to make something or need opinions and advice?
Want to show off your work and post pics?

You have found the right place, now post to your hearts content!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please keep in mind this post will be updated as often as possible to provide current information.

FAQS:Are there really that many people that cosplay for PAX?
There are enough of us that you are reading this thread!

I'm not sure if I want to dress up, what do you think?
Dressing up is a personal choice. No one will yell at your choice either way.

Does my costume have to be video game related?
No not at all! There are a wide variety of costumes from all themes in geek culture from Doctor Who to Power Rangers, anime to video games! If you want to wear a costume then do it!

I am a beginer at costume making, any advice?
Many people will have many different things to say about this. At the heart of it all is to stick to your comfort zone. Never sewn a thing in your life? Don't make a full Princess Peach gown complete with plush Toad. Start out with something simple enough that you can make it and make it well enough for YOU to be proud of. Don't get daunted by others, many people who do the large scale things have been at this a while. Also, nothing wrong with taking some pieces from your own wardrobe or the store and using them.

I have a cool prop weapon, can I bring it!? (this is the biggest one of all so please read on carefully!)
Please refer to these rules first and use common sense. If you ABSOLUTELY cannot find the answer to your question then please direct questions in a message to AaronC who is the security manager of PAX
Do not flood him with questions if your answer can be found here!!!

NEW PAX ATTENDEE COSTUME WEAPON POLICY
The official policy is as follows:

A COSTUME WEAPON IS *NOT* PERMITTED AT PAX IF:

- It fires or can fire any sort of projectile. {Nerf guns are only allowed if they have been deactivated and can not fire)

- It is airsoft, even if deactivated

- It looks like a real firearm at "second glance." (Yes, even if it's a kid's toy.)

- It's sharp or pointy enough to cut or pierce someone with moderate pressure. This includes all real swords, daggers and knives. It also includes ceramic blades, needles, syringes and anything that can pierce such as a Little Sister syringe made of wood.

- Bats are allowed as long as you don't go around hitting people with em. "Bats are ok. Don't be a dick with them."

Please note that, Little Sister syringes that are made of wood are not allowed because you can accidentally poke someone, especially in the Expo hall. If the syringe part is made of rubber instead it would be totally acceptable.

Foam props are perfectly acceptable and are very popular. These are a good choice since they can't hurt, can be made to look very good, and are totally accepted by the convention center and TSA.

PEACE BONDING AT CON FOR COSTUME WEAPONS
The method of checking will be a booth located on the 4th floor at the Info Desk. It will be staffed by enforcers from 1 hour prior to the show to the close of Expo Hall. All attendees who have costume weapons will be directed there. The Security Management Team will also be checking the exterior line and the expo line before the doors open to alleviate any delay for people who show up before the show opens.

Anyone who has a costume weapon needs to be verified. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Attendees whose weapons are allowed will have to show that they have been checked and Ok'd. If an attendee's weapon is approved they will receive BOTH a zip tie (color TBA) placed on the weapon and a sticker on the back of their badge with a short description of the item and the name of the Enforcer who checked it. Any Enforcer can verify to if the weapon has been checked and that you have a sticker and zip tie on it. Please note that zip ties will be placed on the prop in an area of your choice. It must remain secure but it can be in an area that can be covered for photos.

If you bring something in that's not allowed or not approved you will be politely required to leave, stow the offending item in your vehicle/hotel room/etc, and then return. If you have any doubt as to whether your prop weapon falls under these restrictions - it probably does. Err on the side of caution!

PEACE BONDING LOCATION
The costume weapons check booth with be at the Info desk on the 4th floor.

The Security Team will be going through the outside line befor the center opens, so if your early you won't have to worry about not being able to go somewhere right away.

*You will want to wear comfortable shoes. Even if they do not match this is a HUGE deal. If you don't think you can walk all day in them, then don't do it.

*You will most likely get stopped for photos (especially if your costume is good). If you don't feel like it then simply tell the person that you are not doing pictures right now but to come find you later, the main thing is to be polite. Keep in mind also that some people are fans of "ninja photos", they walk by and nonchalantly snap a photo of you while you are simply standing there or eating, or...anything really. Once again be polite and sometimes you may even offer to take a nice photo for them (without your mouth full of food!).

*When taking pictures try to move out of the crowd and off to the side where there is less traffic (I am sure the person wanting the picture will also understand).

*The convention center will be hot. Keep this in mind especially for costumes with layers. Fake layers (fake collars, half sleeves that are sewn into a shirt to make it look like layers etc.) are all neat tricks to saving you from sweating like crazy.

*Weight of a costume can be a big issue. Think about it practically. If you can't carry the weight of a costume on you for the time that you will be in the center then don't wear it. Try to lighten up the load with hollow structures and the like. Remember that costumes don't always have to be the exact proportions of the original to look good.

*Costume size can also be a problem. Keep in mind that you will be wearing this into a convention center full of tons of people. No one wants to get smacked in the face by your giant Jesse from Pokemon wig or by your Final Fantasy bigger than a person sword.

*Swag is a very common thing, try to have a plan of where you will keep all your awesome shirts, buttons, magnets, games, etc. Matching bags are always a popular option. Having a buddy to help carry your stuff is also another option. Please note, there is no coat check or spare room to keep stuff in for attendees. It all depends on personal preference but is something to keep in mind.

*Freshness can be a little lacking by the third day of being in costume (this is not meant to offend anyone but this should be addressed). Try to change at least any underlayers to your costume everyday. If this can't happen then try to hang up the costume in your room for the night so that it can at least air out (febreeze isn't a bad option either). Wear deoderant and any other freshening toiletries that you prefer and shower each day to keep yourself and your costume nice and fresh.

*Finally, it is a good idea to carry a few safety pins (or your costume equivalent) with you to make on the fly repairs while at the convention center. Accidents happen, especially the more people you add to a situation. It would be a shame for someone to step on the hem of Kaylee's Fluffy Layer Cake Dress and have it rip and leave you exposed.

GROUP MEETUPS:
If you are looking for a group or looking for more to complete your group then feel free to post here about it. I will also try to make a list here as we get closer to Prime for everyone to reference to. If you would like your group info posted here and do not see it then please pm me the info!

Mass Effect- A meetup is in the works (no details yet), if you would like to know more then please join the group on facebook Mass Effect Cosplay PAX Prime The Facebook group is mostly for those who are dressing up in ME but those who just want to join so they know when we will be doing photos and the like are also welcome.

Since I have now finished official business, I will kick things off with my plans.
Currently I am working on making some N7 armor from Mass Effect. Going to go with the original gray/black color scheme with the red/white stripe and try to make the chest look as female as I can. It will be made out of EVA foam cut from patterns I found from another user online. I hope to have it done in March for the release of ME3 and then will be wearing it for Prime 2012. Also hope to do a modded nerf gun to make it look like a pistol, and if I can find a nice way to make one then an omni-tool!

Posts

I know it is early and forgive me if a thread for this has already started somewhere else but here it goes!

What is everyone planning on doing for the costumes for 2012?
Any big ideas or even just concepts of what you might want to do? Games coming out this year that you might want to base a costume off?

Currently I am working on making some N7 armor from Mass Effect. Going to go with the original gray/black color scheme with the red/white stripe and try to make the chest look as female as I can. It will be made out of EVA foam cut from patterns I found from another user online. I hope to have it done in March for the release of ME3 and then will be wearing it for Prime 2012. Also hope to do a modded nerf gun to make it look like a pistol, and if I can find a nice way to make one then an omni-tool!

I don't think it's a bad idea starting the thread early. After all, preparing for the next PAX is the proper thing to do as soon as PAX ends, right? Anyhoo, some costume builds can take a while and people may need help along the way. I know I may have some questions pop up when I start construction on my helmet.

Like I said in the East thread to someone else, feel free to bug me about tinkering with Nerf guns! I learned a fair bit when building my buster cannon.

My plans for next year a bit more subdued. I'm gonna rock my Megaman costume again, but I'm going to be updating some bits of it now that I've gone through the learning curve of doing all of this for the first time. The helmet (going to be doing a 100% handbuilt one this time), gloves (found a WAY better pair to use), and my cannon (I want lights and a spinning chamber damnit!) are all being replaced. The cannon is absolutely mandatory because my old one was written all over it by some jackass gang of vandals that apparently go by the name of The Protomen or some shit like that. People these days I swear.

I'm planning on redoing my wig for my C. Viper costume. Right now it's a full wig that is too bright for my tastes, so I'm going to construct a hairpiece that is just a braid to attach to my real hair.

Bayonetta will get a facelift as well. One of my shoe guns broke Friday this year, so I'll be repairing that as well as shortening the chains/charms and hair that hang from the elbows. It made it far too difficult to walk around.

As far as a new costume, I'm very set on the idea of doing a crossplay of Dhalsim from Street Fighter. That should be interesting, to put it mildly, but I'm convinced I can make it happen.

Ugh I love technology and how it is always on the cutting edge of what we need it to do. But man do I also hate it sometimes! I am trying to scale the patterns for my mass effect armor templates to fit my size (and not the 6' 2" man that origianlly made them!) but the videos to show me how to do it are from three years ago and are nothing like how the program works now. I think I might end up cutting them out and temporarily taping them together and shaving them down bit by bit till they are a good size.

In the meanwhile I have my full undersuit! I bought a long sleeved turtlenecked leotard and some leggings, stole my mom's old combat boots from when she was in the army, bought a hot knife, black gloves, and a black nylon military belt. The gathering process is almost complete. Just need the foam itself, nylon straps and buckles, and some EL wire then I will start to build!! I have also almost completed the paint job on a nerf gun that I got recently. I think it looks a lot like a heavy pistol from the game already so I am not going to have to change the shape of it at all in my book. Also my roommate has been drinking a lot of orange soda that comes in orange bottles, going to mess around with those as omnitool parts till I save more money to buy the foam.

I got started on the Foreigner Belt in preparation for Halloween, but this thing will be Hot Blooded by the next Prime.

I ripped the neck and guts out of a Rock Band Stratocaster and strung a belt between the halves. In this shot, the 'F' is just a duct tape mock-up; I'm gonna spray the whole thing silver with a cardboard or foamcore 'F' in its place. Probably going to stick with using the back of the guitar because the front is riddled with big holes and two bumps where the strum used to be. (The back has screw holes, but a little poster gum between them and the paint should cover those for now and allow me to get back in there to install speakers.)

Ooo post pics here too and not just on the East forum since you are wearing the costumes for both =)

Also hope to see you at Prime to get some pics with while I'm in my armor. I thought about doing an Alliance uniform (the same blue one you are doing from ME1!) but I have always wanted to do a large scale costume and decided this would be the one.

Ooo post pics here too and not just on the East forum since you are wearing the costumes for both =)

Also hope to see you at Prime to get some pics with while I'm in my armor. I thought about doing an Alliance uniform (the same blue one you are doing from ME1!) but I have always wanted to do a large scale costume and decided this would be the one.

Cosplay 1: Spartan Kelly's flight suit.

Spoiler:

Cosplay 2: ME Alliance Uniform, gray.

Spoiler:

I'd love to see your armor. I love all the fans who make Spartan armor, but I'm not crafty enough for that. I thought it'd be a nice compromise to do something different.

Let's say someone was to make a set of dogtags to go with their costume? What other information do you think it would have on it? So far I have this....

SHEPARD, JANE M.
SYSTEMS
ALLIANCE
5923-AC-2826
A POS

The place I found to make them allows five lines and each line can only have 15 characters (hence why systems alliance is on two lines)

Anything I should change or add?
The line of numbers is the actual service number of Shepard in the game so I would like to keep that and obviously the name.

My military dog tags are:

LAST
FIRST, MIDDLE
SOCIAL/SERVICE NUMBER
BLOOD
RELIGION

If you need, you can probably abbreviate Systems as SYS to make it all fit on a single line. The key things to have on dog tags is identification info and burial info, as if you're using dog tags to ID someone they are likely dead. So you've definitely got a good start, and if you condense the affiliation line down then that gives you a free line for some other data.

Oh I know what are on military dog tags hehe I have had those forever and actually looked at them to figure out what to start with. I was thinking of putting religion on Shepard's but was not sure what to do since I think there are soooooo many religions in the Mass Effect universe and so many differences from present times. Plus just putting Chritian isn't very fun (to me anyways) when the game universe is soooo diverse.

My thought for instead of a religion is possibly the name of a homeworld or something that the person would wish to buried on?

Oh I know what are on military dog tags hehe I have had those forever and actually looked at them to figure out what to start with. I was thinking of putting religion on Shepard's but was not sure what to do since I think there are soooooo many religions in the Mass Effect universe and so many differences from present times. Plus just putting Chritian isn't very fun (to me anyways) when the game universe is soooo diverse.

My thought for instead of a religion is possibly the name of a homeworld or something that the person would wish to buried on?

That is a good idea, dog tags!

Of course the only downside to them is that most, i don't know if all, but most military personnel wear their tags under their clothes. But its a cool idea non-the-less.

Also, home world is probly a good thing to put on the tags in lieu of religion.
My tags are the official ones I got from the navy, and I still wear them even though I'm a civy now. But its about identity and, to me, its about identifying oneself to a cause.

"SYS ALLIANCE" looks like it will work well. It all depends on preference I suppose.

Stage 1 is to figure out a good way to couple the motor I ripped out of the gun to the cylinder so that it spins and looks awesome. Everything after that is basically gravy. I'm gonna bleed off some juice to power some internal LEDs since it'll look ballin with those vents in the gun.

Still undecided myself. I'm currently in the middle of making a Acrylic case for BYOC that I believe will blow everyone away. Cannot show pics as its a secret..Just be ready to be amazed..haha. My cosplay will come after that with a few months of spare time.

So far I have finished all my armor pieces and just have a few details to do! I am down to a short list of to do's now! Big things include painting the red and white stripe on my right arm and finishing the straps and buckles to hook everything together!

Once everything is done I will post pics but for now it is back to school work =(

Armor is done!!! I am currently painting the Nerf rifle for it in blue and possibly be trying to make an omniblade.

Front

Spoiler:

Back

Spoiler:

Side Stipe

Spoiler:

Ignore the mess behind me!! The N7 logo has been added, the glue had to sit for 4 hours and I didn't want to be messing with it for pics so I put it on after this and had to let it sit. I have also made it so all the straps stay tight.

Hi, I'm @Tango, one of the Enforcers' security specialists at PAXes Prime and East, as well as PAX Dev. I'm posting this thread to help raise awareness of some refinements to PAX security policy that will be 'live' effective Prime 2011.

Be aware that the content of this post has been given the nod by PA, and so can be considered official. As such, only the most basic and definite information is presented here.

First off, the main change:

NEW PAX ATTENDEE COSTUME WEAPON POLICY
While PAX is mainly intended to facilitate gaming, we recognize that many Attendees will want to dress in awesome costumes. These awesome costumes often come with prop 'weapons,' and the question: "can I bring this to PAX?" Needless to say, real weapons are NOT permitted, but what about props?

Well, there are some informal rules that we've been using to decide this for the last few PAXes. As of now, they have become official, and are as follows:

A COSTUME WEAPON IS NOT PERMITTED AT PAX IF:
- It fires or can fire any sort of projectile.(Yes, even Nerf.) - It looks like a real firearm at "second glance."(Yes, even if it's a kid's toy.) - It's sharp or pointy enough to cut or pierce someone with moderate pressure.(Yes, even if it's not made of metal.) - It's weighty enough to bludgeon someone with a moderate-force swing.(Yes, even if you're a TF2 Scout.)

If you bring something in that's not allowed you will be politely required to leave, stow the offending item in your vehicle/hotel room/etc, and then return. If you have any doubt as to whether your prop weapon falls under these restrictions - it probably does. Err on the side of caution!

My only concern is having my airsoft guns on me, they're orange tipped but I'd like some confirmation on them being allowed or not.

Fairly certain according to the weapons policy, that weapon will not be allowed at PAX. In the past there has been very specific language disallowing AirSoft products, but the language has recently become more general to reduce confusion about *other* products that are not AirSoft.

Hi, I'm @Tango, one of the Enforcers' security specialists at PAXes Prime and East, as well as PAX Dev. I'm posting this thread to help raise awareness of some refinements to PAX security policy that will be 'live' effective Prime 2011.

Be aware that the content of this post has been given the nod by PA, and so can be considered official. As such, only the most basic and definite information is presented here.

First off, the main change:

NEW PAX ATTENDEE COSTUME WEAPON POLICY
While PAX is mainly intended to facilitate gaming, we recognize that many Attendees will want to dress in awesome costumes. These awesome costumes often come with prop 'weapons,' and the question: "can I bring this to PAX?" Needless to say, real weapons are NOT permitted, but what about props?

Well, there are some informal rules that we've been using to decide this for the last few PAXes. As of now, they have become official, and are as follows:

A COSTUME WEAPON IS NOT PERMITTED AT PAX IF:
- It fires or can fire any sort of projectile.(Yes, even Nerf.) - It looks like a real firearm at "second glance."(Yes, even if it's a kid's toy.) - It's sharp or pointy enough to cut or pierce someone with moderate pressure.(Yes, even if it's not made of metal.) - It's weighty enough to bludgeon someone with a moderate-force swing.(Yes, even if you're a TF2 Scout.)

If you bring something in that's not allowed you will be politely required to leave, stow the offending item in your vehicle/hotel room/etc, and then return. If you have any doubt as to whether your prop weapon falls under these restrictions - it probably does. Err on the side of caution!

Since this is the costume thread, I figure this will be the best place to ask. I have a passing interest in Dressing up for at least 1 day of PAX, just for the sake of nerdiness, but I am no good with a needle and thread. Does anyone know of a place where I can buy a Starfleet uniform? I found a couple of places selling them, but no one has the First Contact/DS9 uniform. Who do you guys get your stuff from?

Hey Tango sorry you were not cited, your name and link to your forum name to PM has been added. No idea how to be fancy and put the link as your name though so if you want that done could you pm me about how to do that? Also please let me know if anything else needs to be changed or added to the first post!